


Home Is Where You Heart Is(?)

by nitschieh



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 15:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4353959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitschieh/pseuds/nitschieh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Izuki muses about his position in the team and finds comfort in someone unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Is Where You Heart Is(?)

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for [Seirin Week](http://seirinweek.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr. Crossposted [here](http://fililikilili.tumblr.com/post/124230271798/).
> 
> I have too many Izuki feels so this had to be written....

Shun loves Seirin, he really does. He cares deeply for every single member and he would never want to be part of another team anymore—even though of course he knows he only has one more year left. He feels loved, too. He knows he's a valuable teammate—he's played in enough games to know that.

Still, sometimes Shun feels out of place or left out, like he doesn't entirely belong like the others do. It's not that he's ever felt left alone. Just, when his teammates split into their separate groups after practice he sometimes doesn't quite know where to fit.

Kuroko and Kagami—Seirin's fated duo, as people have started to call them—naturally mingle together with only each other or the other three second-years. The new first-years that have joined the team this school year—after winning the Winter Cup there have been a lot more applications compared to the last year—are already split in several smaller groups as well.  
However, when Shun feels out of place it's mostly among the guys of his own grade. He knows they don't do it purposely and they never shut him out but somehow Shun sometimes ends up feeling like he's intruding. Koga and Mitobe are basically inseparable—otherwise no one would be able to understand the taller teen anyway—and Tsuchida is just as much a part of that. Hyuuga, Kiyoshi and Riko have formed their own trio. When Kiyoshi was hospitalised because of his injury and then again when he was in the US until a few weeks ago, things had been a bit easier for Shun because Hyuuga sought him out on his own accord. Shun still considers Hyuuga his best friend—he's the one he's known the longest, too—but he can see that his captain is much livelier and more natural when he's bickering with Kiyoshi. Constantly being told by his best friend to "Shut up!" or even "Die!" when he tells a pun doesn't help Shun feel better, either.

However, the last person Shun expected to find a place to belong with was Takao. Actually, it probably wasn't even _that_ unexpected—Takao likes everyone and everyone likes Takao. He's the type of person to get along with just about everyone. But then again that's also the reason why it's so unlike Shun to feel nothing but home when he's with Takao. The younger teen is always surrounded by others, always busy. And yet, during the training camp they're currently on, Takao still finds time to practise with Shun—and only Shun.

The training camp was Riko's idea and she decided to hold it together with the other schools from the Tokyo prefecture having members of the Generation of Miracles. The new formed teams—without the previous third-years that have graduated a few months ago—are still adjusting to each other and Riko deemed it a good idea to get a look at the new players.

So here they are again, in the same place where they accidentally met Shuutoku almost a year ago. They're staying over a weekend for three days and two nights. It's the first night when Takao hesitantly knocks on the door to the Seirin team's room. He scratches his neck and seems almost embarrassed when he asks, "Hey, Izuki-san. Do you have some time to spare to practise with me some more?" Shun looks up from his history book—the third-years have to already start studying for their university entrance exams after all—with wide eyes and simply asks incredulously, "Me? You aren't looking for Kuroko or Kagami?"

Takao starts laughing and Shun isn't able to keep the offended blush off his cheeks. Then, his fellow point guard smiles. "Nah, I'm looking for you." His grin widens and so do Shun's eyes. "I guess you could say it's a bird thing."

At that Shun's eyes light up and he quickly scrambles to his feet. With an apologetic look he turns toward Hyuuga who's sitting at the other side of his text book and says, "Sorry. I hope you don't mind if I sneak off with my sneakers now." Hyuuga just scowls at him and grumbles, "Just get out of here already if all you're gonna do is make puns," as Shun grabs his shoes from his bag. The comment hurts a little—just like it always does—but the excitement about being wanted and needed makes up for it. Shun joins Takao outside of the room but before he can close the door the younger boy quickly peeks back inside once more and giggles, "Koganei-san, your headphones are under your pillow." Shun watches Takao in awe as he finally pulls the door closed and from inside he can hear Koga's happy yelp and a muffled, "Wow, thanks, Takao!"

They head out together to the hoop placed in front of their inn. It's quiet at first and Shun feels like he should say something to break the silence but then Takao puts his hands behind his neck and starts whistling a song Shun has never heard before. From the few times they have met off-court Shun knows that the other boy is easy to talk to and a real mood maker. The awkwardness he felt a few seconds ago fades and makes room for something else—something warm and fuzzy that makes its way up his chest and bubbles out of his body through quiet giggles. Takao stops in his tracks and stops whistling and just looks at Shun for a moment.

Shun suddenly feels like he's done something incredibly embarrassing so he clears his throat and just keeps walking. Takao catches up to him in no time and out of the corner of his eye Shun can see him staring. He stubbornly keeps looking forward and snaps, "What?" but there's no bite in his voice. Before Takao even speaks again Shun can feel the smirk on his lips. "It's nothing. I just realised again that you're even more handsome when you're laughing. It's really unfair." Shun chokes on the air and this time the coughing is real. He finally turns to look at Takao and the other boy just keeps smiling at him as if it's his default facial expression—off the court it probably is, though.

Shun knows there's a deep blush creeping up his cheeks when he sputters, "Handsome? _Again!?_ " Takao just laughs again. "Didn't I already tell you when we met up at the Fancy Shop the other day? Oh, that reminds me, do you have your phone with you?" They finally make it outside and surprisingly the hoop is unoccupied. Shun expected the likes of Kagami, Kuroko or even Midorima to still be practising. Shun checks the pockets of his shorts while Takao pulls out a basketball from behind a small bush behind the basket—he must've already hid it there earlier today. His grin is almost more blinding than the slowly setting sun behind him. Shun forces himself to pull his thoughts together and keeps digging around his empty pockets. "No, seems I left it back in my backpack. What do you need it for?" Takao starts dribbling the ball carefully and without thinking Shun gets in a defensive position under the hoop. "Ah, it's not that important. It's just that-" He makes a feint and scores with a lay-up before he finishes his sentence. "That other day, Hyuuga-san said your sister looks like you, right? I was hoping you could show me a picture of her."

Takao's grin widens again as he passes Shun the ball and takes his position, getting ready to defend. Shun starts dribbling and teases, "Are you trying to check out my little sister?" after Takao fends off his first feint. The younger teen chuckles and can only watch as Shun scores on his next try. "I'm not, trust me. I just wanna know how much you really look alike. Promise to show me tomorrow, alright?" Shun felt a sting in his heart he couldn't quite describe at the thought of Takao taking an interest in his sister but the promise of 'tomorrow' lets him forget about it immediately. "Then you'll have to show me a photo of your sister, too." Takao says, "Sure," as he starts his next attack.

This time Shun stops him with his Eagle Spear and the other teen literally gasps out loud. The ball comes to a halt in the bushes behind the hoop as Takao exclaims, "Oh, so that's the Eagle Spear? I've been wanting to see it up close for a while now. It's really a good thing I asked you out here." Shun is glad when Takao turns around to grab the ball because he's pretty sure he's blushing again. When he catches Takao's pass, the younger boy keeps going on about how it's "such a cool move" and how he wishes he could do something like that as well.

Shun chuckles, but it's half sarcastic. "What are you talking about? You're basically a genius at being a point guard. Your passes to Midorima are so perfect, I'm a little jealous." Takao's mouth drops open and he seems to be utterly surprised so Shun takes the opportunity to score with an easy lay-up. "And without my team the Eagle Spear wouldn't be as effective either." He wants to continue but Takao vehemently interrupts him, "Okay, okay, stop! You're just as great! You kept your cool throughout the whole game against Rakuzan, that was really impressive."

It gets quiet once Takao finishes and with awkwardness spreading between them Shun realises they just loudly complimented each other in public. He breaks the silence in an almost-whisper, "For real though, your passes to Midorima are incredible. The bond you guys share must be really strong." Takao gets ready to attack again but then he takes the ball in both hands and suddenly looks very serious. "Or it's just a lot of practice. And your last pass to Hyuuga-san against Rakuzan was just as impressive if not even more. I feel like you're getting ahead of me so I've gotta keep practising." The seriousness is taken over by glee again as Takao slips past an unprepared Shun. From behind him Shun can hear the younger boy say, "The way I see it, your bond with Hyuuga-san must be just as strong." There's that sting in his heart again. This time Shun blames it on how Hyuuga treats him more often than not. Instead of delving into that feeling, however, Shun faces Takao again and smiles. "Maybe you're right."

By the end of their almost relaxed one-on-one session, Shun knows what the stinging really means. They kept the nonchalant small talk up the whole time and Takao even laughed at all of his countless puns. For the first time in a long while Shun feels accepted completely for who he is. He's never crushed this fast on anyone, but then again no one else was like Takao. 

They're catching their breaths under the hoop and Takao keeps asking him to make puns for the most random words or scenarios, when Hyuuga steps under the door to the inn and shouts, "Oi, Izuki, you coming back anytime today? We still gotta talk about tomorrow's schedule." Surprised, Shun notices that the sun has completely set already and it's dark outside. With a quiet groan he gets up from the ground and replies, "I'm on my way," before he turns back towards Takao one last time. "Sorry, I've gotta go." The younger teen gets up as well and together they go back inside. Before they part, Takao reminds him, "Don't forget your phone tomorrow." Shun replies to his grin with one of his own. "Don't worry. I wouldn't dare leaving you hanging with your dire needs." Takao almost doubles over and they wave each other goodbye. Shun can still hear faint laughter before they close the door to Seirin's room.

When he outs his shoes back into his bag Hyuuga behind him mumbles, "Damn, you guys really hit it off, didn't you? Just don't forget what team you belong to." Shun's eyes widen a little. He takes in everyone's presence in the room and smiles again. "I won't. After all, I can't be seen in any team but Seirin." Hyuuga lets out an exasperated groan—one of the first-years giggles quietly—and starts the team meeting.

The next morning Seirin is the first team to get breakfast. Once Takao sees Shun, he calls out to him and sits down in the chair right next to him, the whole of Shuutoku slowly following him. They show each other pictures of their sisters—Shun is forced o show a photo of his dog, too—exchange phone numbers and continue their talk from the previous night. The flutter in Shun's stomach only gets worse when Takao asks him to meet up in the evening, again.


End file.
